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Dimming the Day: Evening Meditations for Quiet Wonder

Dimming the Day: Evening Meditations for Quiet Wonder

The moon is out, the air has cooled, and you are ready for bed. You know that scrolling on your phone does not draw you toward sleep but adds to your worries. Power down your phone, take a breath, and begin to dim the day.

Research suggests that we should refrain from screens at bedtime. But it can be hard to give up social media and news without something to take its place. In these pages, author Jennifer Grant offers gentle meditations that help you direct your gaze away from screens and uncertainties and toward the natural world. Dimming the Day guides you to focus on the wonders of God's good earth, from the ordinary head of a dandelion to the exquisite beauty of a fractal.

Replace anxiety with awe, distraction with focus, and worry with true rest. Calm your mind and settle into stillness. It is time to dim the day.

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$19.99

  • Publisher Broadleaf Books
  • Format Hardcover
  • ISBN 9781506471198
  • eBook ISBN 9781506471204
  • Age/Grade Range Adult
  • Dimensions 5.5 x 7.5
  • Pages 196
  • Publication Date October 19, 2021

Endorsements

"Jennifer Grant's reflections on creature and place in this bedtime companion intentionally settle the reader. It's an invitation to lay aside life's hustle and bustle and turn to a time of rest. Don't be surprised, though, if whimsical butterflies, dandelions, hummingbirds, and such enter your dreams."

Traci Rhoades, author of Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost: A Story of Church

"Grant writes beautifully in a way that only someone who lives beautifully can do. This book is a rare antidote to the anxiety of our age."

Jon M. Sweeney, author of Feed the Wolf: Befriending Our Fears in the Way of Saint Francis

"This gently penned, innovative collection of twenty evening meditations is an invitation to worry less about tomorrow and wonder more about the beauty of this earth and the great God who made it, in whose arms we can safely and securely fall asleep. Dimming the Day is destined to find a place on many a bedside table, including mine."

Glenys Nellist, children's author of the Love Letters from God, Snuggle Time, and Little Mole series

"Into this chaotic and anxious world, Dimming the Day shows up as a soothing balm. Every word of this book has planted seeds for healing in my own weary heart, and I know it will do the same for others."

April Fiet, author of The Sacred Pulse: Holy Rhythms for Overwhelmed Souls

"In Dimming the Day, Grant invites us to view the world through eyes of wonder. It is as if a kind friend has offered to tuck us in for the night, guiding us into glorious sleep."

Shemaiah Gonzalez, writer

"Exploring with obvious affection a marvelous breadth of created beings and creative artists, Grant has produced a piece that will induce both wonder and peace, inspiration, and calm. Dimming the Day is a book I can imagine keeping close at hand, to return to time and again."

Rosalind C. Hughes, author of A Family Like Mine: Biblical Stories of Love, Loss, and Longing and Whom Shall I Fear? Urgent Questions for Christians in an Age of Violence

"A flood of adrenaline-sparking bad news coming at us through our screens shouts most of us to sleep each night. Jennifer Grant offers us an alternative in this book of wonder-filled reflections and grace-filled practices designed to gentle our souls as each day draws to a close."

Michelle Van Loon, author of Becoming Sage: Cultivating Maturity, Purpose, and Spirituality in Midlife

"Author Jennifer Grant has an idea: Could we quiet our anxious thoughts by ending each day with awe and wonder? Weaving together nature, literature, faith, and daily life, Grant has produced a book of meditations and bedtime stories well worth keeping on your nightstand."

Catherine McNiel, author of All Shall Be Well: Awakening to God's Presence in His Messy, Abundant World

"What an amazing, whimsical, informative, calming book! Although it's meant for an end-of-day read, it's perfect for any time you want to feel part of nature and centered. I'll be buying copies for family and friends."

Dale Hanson Bourke, author of Embracing Your Second Calling

"Dimming the Day is an enchanting book by the immensely talented Jennifer Grant, who has the heart and soul of a poet. This is a book to savor, to muse upon, and to smile about as you drift off to sleep, dreaming of misty redwood groves, magical whale songs, and other deep and beautiful mysteries of our universe."

Susy Flory, New York Times bestselling author or coauthor of 16 books, and director of West Coast Christian Writers

"In chapter after lovely chapter, Grant leads readers throughout the natural world pointing out wondrous things and deftly connecting them to spiritual thoughts and practices before guiding us home and to rest. It's hard to perfectly describe this small, wise, and delightful book: part nature guide, part prayer book, part stress reliever and relaxation coach. Whatever it is, it's the perfect nightly companion for these wearying and perilous times."

Alison Hodgson, author of The Pug List: A Ridiculous Dog, a Family Who Lost Everything, and How They All Found Their Way Home

"So many of us crawl into bed at night with our thoughts scrolling as fast as our news feeds. No wonder sleep eludes us. Jennifer Grant invites us to do things differently. A delicious blend of science and spirituality, this collection of reflections gently directs our gaze toward the marvelous complexity of the natural world. Dimming the Day is not only good for individual readers; it is good for our world."

Laura Alary, author of Breathe: A Child's Guide to Ascension, Pentecost, and the Growing Time

"Jennifer Grant's Dimming the Day is a gift to an anxious world. From dandelions and redwoods to ginkgos and beehives, Grant uses the natural world as a springboard for spiritual insights. Her eloquently written vignettes paired with thoughtful prompts for prayer and reflection evoke serenity and invite wonder. Keep this lovely book on your bedside table for reassurance and inspiration."

Lori Erickson, author of Near the Exit and Holy Rover

"This small book goes deep and wide. Grant's soulful reflections and calming practices immerse us in the wild and winsome wonders of nature--a forest of mangroves, a murmuration of starlings, a solid ginkgo tree--to center our spirits before bed in a loving world and a loving God."

Heidi Haverkamp, Episcopal priest and author of Holy Solitude: Lenten Reflections with Saints, Hermits, Prophets, and Rebels

"This book was a much-needed soul gift during a very difficult season. As each day dimmed, I found myself looking forward to the bright light of Grant's words and the stories in these pages."

Rev. Tracey Bianchi, preaching pastor and adjunct seminary faculty

"In Dimming the Day, Jennifer Grant reminds me that to mark time by the sunset rather than my smartphone is to synchronize my spirit with the pulse of awe and wonder that beats at the heart of all creation."

Milton Brasher-Cunningham, author of The Color of Together: Mixed Metaphors of Connectedness

"As someone who's struggled my entire life with sleep (and now has children who struggle too), Dimming the Day is what I've needed in ending the day with reassurance, gratitude, and awareness of God's presence as close as breath. I experienced Grant's beautiful stories and images as a calming, holy hug from the miraculous world itself, finding healing for my anxious heart and hope for my fragile soul. I will never look into the eyes of my child or taste honey or hear a red-winged blackbird the same way again."

Rev. Arianne Braithwaite Lehn, author of Ash and Starlight: Prayers for the Chaos and Grace of Daily Life

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